Donald B. Olsen, D.V.M., D.Sc.

Donald B. Olsen, D.V.M, standing next to Tony, a calf who survived 30 days on an early model of the Kolff artificial heart. Along with Dr Willem Kolff, Dr Olsen played an important role in the development of the artificial heart at the University of Utah. Dr Olsen was was born in Bingham Canyon, Utah on April 2, 1930. Dr Olsen received his B.S. in 1954 and his DVM in 1956 from Colorado A&M (Colorado State University). At the invitation of Dr Kolff in 1972, Dr Olsen became a consultant to the Institute for Biomedical Engineering and the Artificial Heart Research Lab. In 1974, Dr Olsen became the artificial heart team's lead surgeon, implanting over 3,000 hearts into calves and sheep as well as assisting in 1,800 human operations. Dr Olsen was president of the Utah Artificial Heart Institute and Director of Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Bioengineering. Dr Olsen is Professor Emeritus of Bioengineering and Surgery. Dr Olsen died in 2018.